The Jerman starts off as a calm, unremarkable stream. It rises in Železnica and then runs through Hudi Hlevi to become a torrent which cascades across the wall as a spectacular 20-metre waterfall.
By the time it reaches Srednji Vrh, it has become large enough that it once powered mills and sawmills, all of which are now abandoned, apart from the Hlebanja sawmill, which is the only remaining sawmill here today.
In the past, water powered mills and sawmills were of great significance to the local population. They were constructed on almost every stream or torrent. They played a major role in the sustainability and independence of farms. During WWII, the occupying forces sealed off all the mills, with the exception of the Hlebanja mill. Their operation was prohibited even after WWII. This prohibition lasted stayed in place for as long as the mandatory submission of agricultural produce was enforced. Watermills were later replaced by electric mills and in some places small power plants were built on their foundations.
